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| Sri Lanka |
| Detailed account of the LTTE attack on the SR Airbase |
| 2007-10-26 |
| Very detailed account of an LTTE suicide sapper attack on an airfield with devastating results. I have just kept a few ...interesting... pieces here, so go read it all LTTE attacks Air Base ignoring human cost The targets of terror outfits are unpredictable. But their final goal is always aimed at terrorising society to bring pressures on Governments to accede to their demands or to put a stop to any campaign against them. ... However, their second attack within a week, this time targeting the air assets of the Sri Lanka Air Force came in a well planned manner. The aim of the LTTE is to get rid of the huge pressure exerted by the Air Force, which has made it tough going for the outfit in the Wanni. ... Having failed in three consecutive attempts to make use of their novel but crude air capability to destroy SLAF air assets, in early this year, Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran this time retained high faith on their usual ground fighters to launch this attack on the Anuradhapura air base. It was around 3.30 a.m. when the Airmen manning the guard post close to the new Nuwara road in the North Eastern edge of the runway from the direction of the Nuwara Wewa, detected the Tiger infiltration into the air base by cutting open the barbed wire fences of the Air Base. ... Therefore, it is believed that the Tiger cadres who infiltrated the Air Base were highly trained cadres on mine clearing and were capable of defusing sound mines which needs higher level of training. ... But the gunner on top was hit by Tiger fire and vthe APC ground to a halt close to the hanger of the Air Base with damage caused to its tyres. ... The group moving from the southern direction of the runway first fired RPGs at two PT-6 basic trainer aircraft parked at the south east end of the runway. The two aircraft were damaged in the Tiger fire. ... The group moving from the southern side of the runway had reached the centre of the runway and fired another RPG at two MI-24 combat helicopter gunships. One helicopter gunship was completely destroyed in the fire but the damages caused to the other helicopter were minor. ... As the team reached the middle of the runway the group was fired at from the Air Traffic Control tower located on the Northern end of the runway. From the southern end too there was stiff resistance to the group. As the LTTE team reached the centre of the runway from the southern flank there was an explosion as one suicide cadre was hit by Air Force fire. Some eight or 10 Tiger cadres were believed to have died in the blast and the entire group was liquidated except for one or two cadres. ... The fourth attack of the LTTE directed towards the B 200 T Beech craft parked in the Northern side of the runway. The beech craft surveillance plane were reduced to ashes in the Tiger fire. Then the K-8 jet trainer parked closer to the hanger was hit by Tiger fire and it went up in a blaze and was completely destroyed. ... By this time the Tiger cadres started directing fire at the Hangar. Due to the fire directed at the hangar three aircraft, one MI-17 Medium Lift helicopter, PT-6 Basic Pilot Trainer aircraft and a Bell jet ranger 206 helicopter were destroyed. ... While the guns were blazing inside the airbase the two Tiger fixed wing aircraft appeared on the scene and dropped four bombs, but no damage was done by this since the bombs fell on a vacant plot close to the Army camps. A few cattle lying closer to the airbase were killed by these bombs. ... ... In the search operations troops took a head count of 19 Tigers dead and collected their strewn body parts. Therefore, it has now been confirmed that 21 senior level Black Tiger cadres were killed in the attack. And by head count they REALLY mean it! |
| Posted by:Brett |
| #6 Certainly a success, but one borne out of desperation rather than grand strategy. They used up what was probably their "A" team. Black Tigers are suicide units, so they don't grow on trees. Well-trained ones, able to defuse a minefield, would be exceedingly hard to come by, I think. They're attacking the Air Force because the SRAF is bombing the crap out of them. Rather than, say, sending suicide squads to alter politics in the capital, or winning battles in the field, they do this rinky-dinky airbase raid. Damage, to be sure, but doesn't change the outcome of the war that the Tigers are currently losing badly. |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-10-26 20:05 |
| #5 Big victory for the LTTE. StrategyPage says the Beech surveillance plane was responsible for the destruction of the LTTE navy. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-10-26 19:30 |
| #4 Just to piss off Mario, we oughtta supply them with much more |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-26 19:13 |
| #3 It has to be considered a big success for the Tigers, being able to destroy around a dozen aircraft including a surveillance plane. |
| Posted by: Albemarle Cleaque8456 2007-10-26 19:04 |
| #2 What a great read. Thanks! |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-10-26 15:45 |
| #1 alot of good news in the WOT today |
| Posted by: sinse 2007-10-26 15:33 |